A look at 50 years of famous entertainers, speakers at E.J. Thomas Hall

Here's a sampling of famous performers and speakers who've graced the E.J. Thomas Hall stage since it opened in Akron in 1973. This list includes highlights over the decades and is not comprehensive.

Anniversary events: E.J. Thomas Hall to celebrate 50 years of joining community through arts, cultural events

As E.J. Thomas turns 50, a look at how the performing arts hall came to be

1970s

Jan. 12, 1974: Count Basie Orchestra

Feb. 10, 1974 and March 10, 2003: P.D.Q. Bach with musical satirist Peter Schickele

Feb. 26, 1974; Oct. 12, 1976 and March 15, 1986: soprano Marilyn Horne

March 29, 1974 and March 9, 1982: Pantomimist Marcel Marceau

Oct. 13, 1974: The J. Geils Band

Oct. 13, 1974; Dec. 10, 1975; Nov. 15, 1977; Dec. 10, 1986; March 3, 1988; Nov. 27, 1999; Oct. 30, 2007; Nov. 27, 2012; Nov. 29, 2017: Vienna Boys Choir

April 7, 1974; Nov. 19, 1977; March 13, 1988: The Lettermen

March 22, 1975: Victor Borge

April 7, 1975: Tenor Luciano Pavarotti

May 10, 1976: Bob Woodward

Sept. 18, 1976 and Feb. 7, 1987: Tony Bennett

1978-1984: The Kenley Players

Oct. 16, 1978: Harry Chapin

Jan. 25, 1979: Rosemary Clooney

April 27, 1979: Michael Stanley Band

Sept. 22, 1979: Ella Fitzgerald

1980s

Dec. 10, 1980: The Babys

Feb. 26, 1980: Kool & The Gang with Shalamar

Sept. 18, 1981: Spyro Gyra

Dec. 10, 1981: Fred Waring band leader, radio and TV personality

Feb. 5, 1982: George Carlin

Feb. 13, 1982: Jelly Roll Morton

May 10, 1982: Asia

Oct. 9, 1983: Dionne Warwick

Dec. 3, 1984 and Nov. 7, 1987: Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis

Oct. 4, 1985: Cab Calloway

March 14, 1986: An Evening with Burl Ives

Sept. 19, 1986: Nicolette Larson and Poco

Oct. 18, 1986: Ferrante & Teicher

March 14, 1987: soprano Leontyne Price

March 20, 1987: Sid Caesar

Oct. 9, 1987: Johnny Cash

March 17, 1988: Mel Torme and jazz pianist George Shearing

May 10, 1988; Nov. 9, 2000 and April 27, 2023: Itzhak Perlman

Nov. 4, 1988 and Feb. 23, 1989: Mitzi Gaynor

1990s

Feb. 6 and 7, 1990: Dorothy Hamill, Broadway on Ice

Nov. 13, 1991; Nov. 23, 1996; Nov. 10, 2010; Nov. 3, 2017; Nov. 9, 2019: Bob Dylan

Oct. 3, 1992; Oct. 18, 2011; Sept. 28, 2017: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Nov. 20, 1995: Jethro Tull (with Ian Anderson)

Nov. 30, 1995: Henry Kissinger

Oct. 27, 1995: Chris Isaak

Sept. 16, 1996: Tori Amos

Sept. 26, 1996: Bruce Springsteen

Nov. 30, 1996: Deep Purple

May 3, 1997: Marvin Hamlisch

Nov. 14, 1997: Nancy Wilson, jazz singer

Nov. 15, 1997: Herbie Hancock

Dec. 3, 1997: President Bill Clinton, race relations town hall

Oct. 10, 1998: Bill Cosby

Feb. 17, 1999: The Black Crowes

Feb. 19, 1999: Hal Holbrook in "Mark Twain Tonight!"

April 10, 1999 and Nov. 16, 2002: Mandy Patinkin

Sept. 26, 1999 and Oct. 1, 2013: Sarah Brightman

Oct. 21, 1999: F.W. de Klerk

Nov. 30, 1999: Sting

2000s

April 13, 2000: Ray Bradbury

Dec. 7, 2000; Nov. 29, 2001; Dec. 12, 2002 and Dec. 11, 2003: Peabo Bryson and guests in "The Colors of Christmas"

April 15, 2002: Elie Wiesel, UA Speaker Series

Feb. 18, 2003 and Feb. 2, 2010: Joshua Bell, violin

April 28, 2003: President Gerald Ford

April 22, 2004 and March 14, 2013: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project/Ensemble

Nov. 10, 2004: Madeleine Albright

Oct. 18, 2005: Queen Noor of Jordan

Feb. 16, 2006: Joe Montana, UA Forum Series

April 2006: Twyla Tharp, UA Forum Series

Feb. 28, 2006, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, UA Forum Series

Nov. 7, 2007: Yo-Yo Ma, cello

Nov. 9, 2007: Sammy Hagar and the Wabos

April 4, 2008: Laurie Anderson

July 7, 2008: Stone Temple Pilots

Oct. 11, 2008: The Black Keys

Oct. 9, 2009: Morris Day & the Time, Stage Door

Nov. 6, 2009: Cheech & Chong

Nov. 16, 2009: Steely Dan

2010s

Feb. 22, 2010: Colin Powell, Forum Series

March 11, 2010: Norah Jones

Jan. 5, 2011: Sarah McLachlan

Aug. 26, 2011: Machine Gun Kelly

Sept. 26, 2011: Jackson Browne

Nov. 23, 2011: Paul Simon

April 18, 2013: John Lithgow

Nov. 3, 2014: Jane Pauley

April 7, 2015: The Moody Blues

May 2, 2015: Arlo Guthrie

June 24, 2015: Hall & Oates

Jan. 29, 2016: Rick Springfield

March 11, 2016 and Feb. 25, 2020: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Joshua Bell

Nov. 26, 2016: The Pretenders

Jan. 29, 2017: Richard Marx

April 9, 2017: Marc Cohn

July 28, 2018: Engelbert Humperdinck

Nov. 8, 2018: Steve Martin and Martin Short

2020s

July 27, 2021: Chanticleer

Dec. 10, 2022: The Beach Boys

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Famous acts leave their marks on E.J. Thomas Hall over 50 years